CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
"So, let me get this straight..." At the moment, the GUN Agents (aside from Hunter), along with the GUN commander, were in a discussion with Newt and Boomer. "...Metal Sonic is training Jill in order for her to defeat Callous?" Wiper inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep," Boomer said with a sarcastic look. "Crazy, ain't it?"
"It's absurd." Queen mused, as she folded her arms. "A complete 180 since I last saw the Metallix..."
"Kekekekeke! What do you suppose he's planning?" Ripper cackled, as he tilted his head.
"I don't know." King muttered, as he rubbed his chin in thought. "But as long as he keeps from hurting Jill..."
"Personally, I think he's just using Jill to get rid of his competition, like Callous," Boomer remarked. "After all, besides Whisker, Proxy, and Omega...I'll never trust a robot."
"I wouldn't say that, Boomer." Sage noted, as she folded her arms.
"Why not?" Newt inquired, as he glanced at the raven.
"I may have neglected to tell you guys, but... remember when I said that we found some help for Ani outdoors?" Then, Sage chuckled. "That help... was from Metal Sonic."
Needless to say, the raven got a lot of shocked stares aimed her way.
"...why?" Boomer asked, irritated. "If you can read minds Sage, then you should know; why would Metal do all that?"
"...call me crazy..." Sage began, as she couldn't help but chuckle. "...but from what I got, he's actually doing this on his own accord. It's like he genuinely wants to help out against Callous."
"Seriously?" the commander uttered in surprise.
Boomer's jaw could only drop at the utter blasphemy.
"Well, let's be perfectly fair on the subject." Wiper began, as he folded his arms. "We're talking about Callous, here. I'm sure that even a tyrant like Metal Sonic would do what he could to bring her down."
"But... that doesn't mean that he won't just kill Jill when everything's done with." Miser noted.
"Actually, I have my doubts that he wants to do that, too." Sage chuckled.
"So what are you saying? That Metal's somehow gone soft?" Boomer suggested with sarcasm; "Please!"
"I'm not saying that he's gone soft; if he had, then I doubt that Jill would train with him." Sage noted. "But... I checked up on both of them, and both Jill and Metal have a massive amount of respect for each other." Then, she chuckled. "I would even go so far as to say that Jill's trying to befriend him."
"...well, that's certainly something you don't hear every day." Queen mused.
"…that certainly sounds like something Jill would do," Boomer murmured. "But I'm still surprised that happened…I mean, isn't Jill aware that after it's over, they'll be against each other again?"
"I think she is." Sage nodded. "And she's still sticking with Metal..." Then, she fell silent.
"...Sage?" King uttered, as he tilted his head.
"...Jill also feels that... Metal Sonic can be a lot more than just a murderous villain." Sage eventually continued, as she closed her eyes. "And she wants to help him realize that..."
"…does she seriously feel that way?" Boomer asked.
Yep." Sage nodded.
"Hrm... that Jill is certainly a strange character..." King hummed.
"But her undying kindness is quite admirable, I must admit."
"Captain?" Boomer was certainly surprised when Charmy walked into the room, with hands behind his back and a sad smile on his face.
"I remember when I first met her," he said. "I thought it was so funny how polite and quick to apologize she was, but it amazes me even more that even with all the hard times she went through, she remained so soft-hearted."
"...she certainly has that talent." Wiper nodded.
Newt glanced at Charmy with a worried look. "Um... you feeling better, Captain?" he asked hesitantly.
"It's hard to tell," Charmy replied with honesty. "Things were brought up from a disturbing past that I wished not to think about…but instead of bringing the pain, it somewhat eased it. A case that I had been trying to solve all my life was finally concluded…and even if it was hard for me to think about, I can rest easy knowing that Vector and Espio's efforts to solve it weren't in vain."
"…and to think that Jill had been the clue to all the answers…" he murmured to himself. "….it's just such a funny turn of fate."
"I suppose it is..." Sage nodded, as she closed her eyes. "Jill really is one of the more interesting people I've met in recent years..."
"Well," Charmy said, joining his hands. "It's been another long day full of events. I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Yeah, it's getting late." King nodded, as he let out a yawn. "Later, guys." he said, as he began walking away.
Boomer watched as Charmy and King walked away, and eventually decided she'd do the same. "Well, good night guys," she said, turning to the hallway that would lead to her own room.
"Yeah, g'night." Newt said, as he walked away as well.
"...three days left..." Sage mused. "It ought to be interesting..."
"What're you talking about, Sage?" Wiper inquired.
"Oh, nothing..." Sage chuckled. "Let's just call it a day."
Bloom had Johnny by the arms in flight, while Gloom had Callous, and the four of them were flying above the sea of clouds under the midnight full moon at this time. It was amazing that little butterflies could carry them so far, but here they were.
Soon, they encountered the storm that was Angel Island, pulsing again with green lightning and dark storm clouds. The moon's light brought the storm out all the more, revealing just how large it was.
"There it is," Callous said, with a smile curling up.
"Not too shabby." Johnny admitted, as he hummed. "So, how are we getting in, without being torn to shreds by the storm?"
"…hm?" Callous observed something about the storm that was very strange…
…there seemed to be a hole in the storm, leading inside without threatening any harm to those who thought about entering.
To this, her eyes grew suspicious. "Someone's already here…" she muttered.
"...how about we go pay this someone a visit?" Johnny proposed, as he glanced at Callous.
"Maybe we should," Callous said. "Bloom, Gloom, take us in through there."
"Right!" They both shouted, picking up speed. They dove right through the hole, and even if it spared them from the worst of the storm, some of the showers and the blistering winds still hit them, challenging the butterflies as they flew through.
They still made it to the other side though, landing on a grassy field near the pushed over palm trees that the winds tortured. The funniest thing of all was that where they were on the island was considered the calmest, since the opening had diminished some of the storm.
Callous looked around, aiming to find this someone that had beaten them here.
"...never thought that I'd end up in this place." Johnny said with a chuckle, as he looked around. "No trace of anyone else here, though..."
"Look!" Bloom and Gloom had wandered away a little and when Callous and Johnny found them, they were kneeling beside something.
The ground was dug up, or more like it had been blown up. Inside the small, clean crater that the butterflies knelt by, there was a certain Egg capsule that had been split in half, and broken shards of black jewel were lying in the open contents.
Callous grinned. "Oh yeah…he's free alright."
"Heh... I read about things like this one." Johnny chuckled, as he picked up the capsule's halves. "No button, though... Metal Sonic must've been desperate to keep him locked away, huh?"
"Pretty desperate from the looks of it," Callous said.
Something snatched up her attention when a white figure suddenly pushed her over to pass by her. Callous hit the ground, but she managed to look up to see what it was.
It was something similar to what Jill could transform into; a white being, but with solid, white feathered wings. Some of the feathers had been plucked out though, and blood trickled out of the places the feathers used to be. This white being was in very, very bad shape. Not only that, but this being actually bothered to glance back at Callous, and her identity was revealed.
It was Goddess.
Once she observed the blank expression that Callous had when she stared right back, Goddess could only tell that somehow, Callous was no longer afraid of her. In the condition that she was, she wouldn't be able to defend herself against the witch that had been made with half her daughter's soul, so she turned away and charged for the opening in the storm, out to the glow of the full moon.
When Callous rose to her feet, the opening shrank instantly, and soon the storm had taken over, basking the island in total darkness.
"Well, that was interesting…" Callous murmured.
"...yeah, but now we're kinda stuck." Johnny said, before he sighed. "Hopefully, your dad knows where the emergency exit on this island is."
Callous heard footsteps behind her. A strong feeling crawled up her spine, and she knew immediately who it could be.
"…Hello Daddy," she said, without looking behind her.
Bloom, Gloom, and Johnny did though, and they saw someone standing there. Due to the storm, they had been forced to wear some sort of black cloak that shielded them from the downpour of the storm. This individual felt inclined to pull the hood off though, and it showed them to be a Mobian bat with long silvery white hair wrapped in a long ponytail, which whipped out in the wind currents. This bat stared at them with sharp, but lifeless, pale eyes.
"Callous," he spoke, with his deep, masculine, raspy voice. "What a surprise. I had a hard time imagining that you would be here on the night of my release."
"Daddy!" both the butterfly twins exclaimed, rushing to him until they got a sharp look from him. Then they cowered in fear.
He said nothing to them, and looked to Johnny with an expressionless face. "…and who might you be?" he asked.
Johnny cracked a slight smirk at the sight of the bat. Even though he didn't show it, the mere presence of this character intimidated even him. "...the name's Johnathan Leoniel." he said with a nod to the bat. "Just call me Johnny, though."
He looked Johnny over, and could sense the dark energies within him that had been a product of Callous' doing. "Hm…" he murmured dryly, while in reality he thought how impressive it was that this character had not gone insane with the Corruption flowing in his veins. Still, he did not express it in anyway distinguishable.
"…perhaps Callous has already told you who I am, but I am Deity Novagod," he said, "and you have my permission to address me by my first name, Johnny."
"Better than 'Master,'" Callous remarked. It was pretty obvious that Callous was the only one who wasn't afraid of Deity, and that could be understood.
"...well, thanks." Johnny noted. "It's an honor to meet you, Deity." he said with a brief bow, mostly out of politeness.
And this character had manners. Cute.
Deity's apathy didn't keep him from returning the bow though, and he turned away with a swish of his cloak. "Come," he said. "Let us venture into more comfortable conditions; out of this storm." Bloom and Gloom followed immediately.
As Deity walked away, Johnny let out a mental sigh of relief. Damn... he's more frightening than death... he thought, before glancing at Callous. "You coming?"
"Yeah, I'm coming," Callous said. Really, she had been curious why Goddess was here. She could figure out as much as that possibly she sensed Deity's release and came to investigate. After that, it left Callous curious.
Callous and Johnny went to follow Deity, and the bat eventually led them to an underground tunnel that had been dug out; not by Deity, but likely by a certain echidna long ago.
"Th-there aren't any s-s-spiders here…are there?" Gloom asked, and one glanced from Deity made her silent.
"No," he answered anyway.
Johnny was silent, as he glanced at the tunnel's opening. "Where does this lead?" he asked, as he glanced at Deity.
"This leads to a tomb," replied Deity bluntly. "Likely of the extinct echidna race that once thrived on this island."
"How inviting." Johnny noted dryly. "Well, shall we?"
"Yes," Deity responded, walking inside. When Bloom and Gloom entered inside, they shook themselves like wet dogs to dry up a tad, while Callous just left her wet hair alone.
Johnny, too, left his hair wet, as he glanced at the walls whilst they traversed through the tunnel.
They stopped at a small chamber, where stone slabs where set up against the walls. Each of them bore names, all of them unrecognizable. These must have been the tombstones of each echidna buried here.
"Even if it may seem restless here," Deity said, taking off his cloak. "There is no disturbance." Taking off his cloak, they saw his old-fashioned waistcoat and neck ruffle. Basically, his garb loosely based on a Gothic, Victorian style.
"You know, you aught to get a new look," Callous suggested.
Deity made no comment to that.
While Johnny also wanted to make some form of comment about how Deity's wardrobe was outdated, he decided to stay quiet.
"So, Daddy," Callous began. "You know a way off this island?"
"The energies of the Master Emerald conducted a barrier that holds me in this place."
"…what?" Callous didn't expect to hear that, and Deity gave her a cold stare.
"That storm is hiding a secret magical barrier that has knocked me backwards each time I tried to penetrate it," he explained. "No matter how I tried, I could not leave this place."
"...so you're stuck here." Johnny noted, as he scratched his neck. "Which means... we're stuck here, too."
"What about the Master Emerald?" Callous asked.
"I haven't the chance to even come close to it," Deity answered. "The energies that it is giving off are hazardous, and while I may not be affected as much as others may be, I do not yet see a way for me to influence it."
"...damn!" Callous spat bitterly, leaning against the wall.
"Well, isn't this just great." Johnny sighed, as he glanced at Callous. "Guess the match is a bust now, huh?"
"Your duel with Jillian will not be passed up however," Deity threw in, catching Callous' attention.
"What do you mean?" Callous asked.
"You had been allowed to enter here by a pierce through the storm, correct?" Deity said. "That gateway was broken through thanks to her mother. If she can come and go as she pleases, then so may Jillian."
"Wait a minute, how did you know Callous was going to fight Jill?" Bloom asked, promptly flinching just as Deity so much glanced at her.
"I am aware of many things..." Deity answered. "At times it is best not to question them."
"So, you're saying have Jill come here?" Callous supposed. "Are you saying we should have the match on Angel Island?"
"Yes," Deity said.
"That's... fitting, I suppose." Johnny noted, as he scratched the back of his head. "But how are we supposed to let her know that the fight is gonna take place here?" Then, he looked at Callous again. "And what about Metal Sonic?"
"Oh, I bet I could plant the thought into that mechanical mind of his, and I don't doubt that he won't tell her," Callous chuckled, bringing out the Chibi Metal figurine to toss up and down. "And he made the condition that he would observe the fight, so I think he'll still be able to come anyway."
Deity eyed the figurine she tossed. "I see you still manipulate others. You haven't changed."
"Neither have you," Callous said, catching the figurine one last time.
"...so until then, what do we do?" Johnny inquired, as he glanced at Deity. "Do we just hang around and wait for Jill and Metal to pop up here?"
"God, I hope not!" growled Callous.
"Unfortunately it is the case," Deity said. "Unless her mother is kind enough to visit again, I don't believe you will be able to leave."
"Why was she here anyway?" Callous asked, throwing him an annoyed eye.
"Personal matters that were of no real importance," Deity replied, overlooking some of the tombstones. "It just turned violent and she left; perhaps because I was growing brutal."
"Hm..." Johnny nodded, as he glanced at some of the tombstones as well. "Man... three days... what to do while on this island..." he muttered.
"That is up to you to figure out," Deity said. "In the meantime, I will go terrorize Jillian in her sleep."
"She's not afraid of you anymore, you know," Callous mentioned. "She conquered her fear this morning."
"Then I will resort to a more real approach," Deity replied; his tone heavy with apathy. Sitting down criss-crossed, he closed his eyes. A demonic air settled in around him, and darkness oozed out of his body. Eventually, the darkness emitting from him wrapped around him like a cocoon of darkness, rendering him hidden to the eye.
"...huh." Johnny uttered, as he glanced at Callous. "I take it only he knows how to do... that?"
Callous folded her arms. "No, he knows much more than that. He just isn't reckless with his power is all..."
"Hm." Johnny nodded, as he folded his arms as well. "...a more real approach? What do you suppose he means by that?"
"Hell if I know," Callous murmured. "He's too much of a recluse sometimes to bother explaining, and even then, I don't know what he's talking about."
"Huh..." Johnny sighed, as he leant against a wall. "...but man, he gives off a killer aura. A lot more frightening than what the doll pulled... and he hasn't done anything but cover himself in darkness."
Callous chuckled hearing that, and smirked at Johnny. "What's the matter? You're not scared of him, are you?" she teased.
"I'm not scared of him." Johnny said, as he closed his eyes. "But just by being next to him... it feels unlike anything I've ever felt." Then, he scoffed. "I don't like that feeling."
"He tends to do that to everyone around him," Callous said, shrugging. "You might be like me where you get used to it, or it could bug you to death."
"Hm... well, I suppose I should start getting used to it." Johnny said, as he cracked his neck. "After all, we'll be stuck here with him for the next three days..."
Callous sauntered past Johnny, flashing him a sly smile and a playful giggle. "Want to explore the tomb?" she asked as she walked away.
"...sure, why not?" Johnny nodded, as he followed Callous.
Bloom and Gloom exchanged a look. "What do you want to do?" Bloom asked.
Gloom eventually shrugged.
-
"Jillian..." The voice resonated in my very mind, and the presence was all the more disturbing. I was in my dreams, and somehow was well aware of it, but they weren't pleasant. I looked around to find him
"Jillian...there's no longer a way to hide from me..."
"You've got it wrong, Deity," I spoke out. "I'm not going to hide from you anymore. I'm going to stand and fight!"
"Still as naive as ever..."
Something snatched me by the throat. I tried to find the hold that was choking me, but there was nothing. I trembled as I began to loose air from my lungs, and nearly panicked when I couldn't refill them.
Jill became so frightened that she woke up, but the dream somehow followed her out of her sleep because she still couldn't breathe. For a minute she was scared, and then she discovered in shock why she couldn't breathe.
She was being choked, but it was by her own hands!
She let out a terrified scream and suddenly pried her own hands away, sitting up from where she had been sleeping as she coughed and hyperventilated.
"...Jill." she'd hear Metal Sonic say, as he stood by the mouth of the cave. "What's wrong?"
Jill wrapped her arms around herself insecurely as she continued to tremble. "I couldn't breathe," she said. "In my dream I was suffocating, and when I woke up I was still choking. My own hands were trying to kill me..."
"...that is bizarre." Metal noted, as he walked towards Jill, before sitting down next to her. "Do you want me to seal your arms against the wall with some liquid metal before you return to sleep?"
"...sure," Jill replied.
"Alright, then..." Metal nodded, as he closed his eyes. "...but you might not be too sleepy, after an experience like that. Maybe a stroll around the area would make you feel better?"
"...okay," Jill agreed, standing up.
"Good." Metal nodded, as he stood up too, before beginning to walk out of the cave. "Come along, now."
Jill followed, smothering her tired face in her hands while stepping out of the cave. It was still night, but with the moon so low toward the horizon it probably wouldn't be night for much longer.
"...so, how are we feeling?" Metal asked, without looking at Jill. "If there's anything troubling you, you should impart it on others. Letting it bottle up wouldn't be logical."
Jill looked at the markings on her hands. The gears in her mind turned for a moment, before she answered Metal. "I think Deity controlled my hands to choke me like that...and it's because of these markings." Her eyes averted to the size through the dark wilderness. "...I don't know; it's just a hunch."
"...a disturbing hunch, but given what has happened recently, I'm not really surprised." Metal muttered, as he glanced at his own hands. "...I'd hate for him to start doing something like that with me, though..."
"...he hasn't done anything to me so far when I'm awake," Jill said. "I think he can only do it if I'm asleep..." she glanced at Metal. "Since you don't really sleep, maybe he won't be able to do it to you."
"I suppose you're right..." Metal nodded, as he looked away from his hands, before stopping. "...but we shouldn't worry too much. Even if Deity's freed, I doubt that he can escape Angel Island. He'll be a sitting duck, until we've taken out his cronies."
"Yeah...with that big storm around Angel Island, I'd imagine that even he couldn't escape," Jill murmured.
"Which means that we can focus on taking out Callous, Johnny and those twins, without worrying about Novagod." Then, he turned around to look at Jill. "...I'd prefer it if you never, ever mentioned this to anyone... but I have to admit, this isn't half-bad."
"Really?" Jill was a little surprised that Metal said that.
"I admit, I went into this training session with the intent of simply making you stronger, so I could get Callous out of my system." Metal began, as he closed his eyes. "But I have to say, that if anything like this would ever happen again... I wouldn't mind training you again."
"Wow...even though all the crap Callous puts you through?" Jill asked; it was a bit of a funny question, but it was asked with honesty too.
"Somehow..." Metal muttered, as he shrugged. "...Callous making a mess out of my existence seems fairly inconsequential." Then, he sighed, before chuckling. "I guess you've really rubbed off on me, huh...?"
Jill chuckled a little as well. "I guess so."
"Aah..." Letting out another sigh, Metal looked up at the sky. "...the only thing that could have made this any sillier was if a certain hedgehog began laughing because of me acting this way. But, I suppose you can't have everything..."
"...somehow you seem so much more at peace," Jill remarked.
"...I do, don't I?" Metal reacted, as he chuckled. "...wonder why that is..."
Jill wondered if it had to do with 'rubbing off on him,' but to be honest, she didn't really know how Metal's thought process worked. "Who knows," she answered.
"Well, that's a riddle for another time." Metal shrugged, as he folded his arms. Then, he closed his eyes. "...what you said... about me having a better purpose..." he muttered, as he glanced at Jill. "...have you thought more about that?"
"...I haven't had a chance," Jill said. "I focused on training as much as I could...but I still want to help you figure it out."
"Hm..." Metal nodded, before he glanced away. "...maybe after this whole conflict settles down..."
Jill smiled a little.
Metal noticed her smile, and tilted his head. "What is it?" he inquired.
Jill shook her head. "It's nothing," she said.
"...hm." Nodding, Metal looked up at the sky again. "...it'll be morning soon..." he muttered.
"...maybe I should go back to sleep before morning comes," Jill murmured.
"...yeah. You'll need rest." Metal nodded, as he glanced at his own hand. "...if you've changed your mind about me sealing your arms up while you sleep, just say it."
"I want to play it safe," Jill said. "So you can seal up my arms." She turned to walk back to the cave then, but slowly so Metal could follow.
As Metal followed her, he couldn't help but close his eyes. ...huh. For some reason... I don't feel like corrupting my voice module after saying all that. he thought, before he glanced back at Jill. ...guess she really did rub off on me.
When they got back to the cave, Jill faced Metal and held out her arms. "Go ahead," she said.
Nodding, a pair of tendrils shot out of Metal's arms, as they wrapped around Jill's arms and hands, forcing her into a sitting position against the wall, before merging with it, properly locking her in place. "Sorry for being a bit rough." Metal said.
"That's alright," Jill said.
"...well, I'll stay right here, if you need me." Metal said, as he walked to the opposite wall, before sitting down against it. "Sleep well."
With a nod to Metal, Jill closed her eyes. Soon enough, her head kept bobbing drowsily and it eventually fell, making her sound asleep.
"...hm." With a mild scoff, Metal folded his arms, before closing his own eyes. ...pull all the tricks you can, Callous and Novagod. In the end, they won't matter. he thought. For the day of your defeat approaches...
-
In the Clubhouse, Jack was sitting in his room by himself, playing a calm tone on his harmonica. ...Brick's been gone for a while, now... he thought, as he closed his eyes. And Tails Doll hasn't come back, either... where are they?
Jack could then hear the elevator doors make a ding down the hallway, since his room was the closest to the elevator, and the doors opening up.
Hearing that, Jack stopped playing his instrument, as he glanced towards the door. "That's gotta be them!" he said, as he ran towards the door, opening it and running out in the hall. "There you are! I was-" he began, but he stopped when he saw who stepped out of the elevator doors.
"Move over!" complained Brick, squeezing out simultaneously with Cal.
Once they popped out, Cal pushed Brick over. "Maybe you shouldn't have tried to get out at the same time!"
"Maybe if you weren't so stuck-up, I would've let you in first!" Brick argued.
"...Cal!" Quickly, Jack switched on the microphone on his harmonica, glaring at the monkey. "You've got some nerve to show up-"
"Jack, wait!" At that point, Tails Doll fluttered out after Brick and Cal, getting between them and Jack. "Listen, Uncle Cal has to stay here because Big Bro didn't want Callous to do mean things to Uncle Cal so Uncle Cal has to stay so don't attack him please?"
The way Tails Doll had spoken with just about no punctuation baffled Jack, as he simply stood where he was. "...eh?"
"Yeah, that was my reaction too," Brick told Jack. "Believe it or not Jack, Cal's going to stay here, according to orders from Metal."
Cal just walked past him and Jack, disappearing down the hall while grumbling to himself in rant. "Brilliant idea Metal...you've really outdone yourself..."
"...okay, I'm kind of confused." Jack muttered, as he placed the harmonica in his pocket, before looking at Brick. "Why are you guys so late?"
"We were attacked by Callous, Johnny and those butterflies!" Tails Doll said, as he began fluttering about around Jack. "I held them off, but Callous somehow got through my special move, so we bolted it out of there!"
"Callous has gotten pretty scary Jack," Brick added. "And for some reason she's after Cal, so Metal had him stay here to be kept an eye on."
"...okay..." Jack nodded, as he folded his arms. "Man, Metal's acting really nicely... somehow..."
"Big Bro's just looking out for us!" Tails Doll said, as he landed on Brick's head. "He doesn't want that mean Callous making things bad."
"...wait a minute..." Jack uttered, as he looked at Brick. "The others... they don't know that Cal's gonna stay, do they?"
The silence that ensued was so immense, that you could hear a pin drop. And then...
"WHAT IN DAVY JONES LOCKER'S NAME BE YE DOING HERE, YE MANGY CYBER-SIMIAN?" the all-too familiar voice of Captain Whisker bellowed.
"Oh Geez!" Brick uttered, wincing at that yell while he rushed down the hall.
Making it to the room where Whisker and Cal were, Cal had been dodging projectiles that the pirate robot was throwing at him. "Whisker, hold on!" he called, but the pirate wasn't listening.
"I`LL GET YE AFT FER WHAT YE DID T' BOOMER, YE WRETCHED BUCKET O' SCRAP METAL!" Whisker roared, as he relentlessly tried to bring down Cal.
"Oh man..." Tails Doll uttered, as he watched the pirate attack Cal like that.
Brick had forgotten all about what he had done to Boomer, and while that would add to his grudge against Cal, he smacked himself for what he was about to do.
"Whisker, wait!" Brick yelled, standing between him and Cal. "You need to-!" Unfortunately, he was cut off as the kitchen sink was thrown at his face, knocking him over.
"...ouch," Cal commented.
"AGH! BRICK!" Whisker uttered in shock at seeing Brick take a hit like that, as he rushed to the bull, pulling him to his feet. "I be sorry... but what be ye doin', standin' in front of him? He`s a bad guy!"
"Whisker, listen!" Tails Doll said, as he fluttered in front of the pirate. "Callous wanted to do something with Cal, so Big Bro said that he had to stay here until things get better!"
"...wait, be ye serious?" Whisker uttered.
"Alright, what's going on, here?" At that point, Natal entered the scene, though she was wearing her pyjamas, which made her looking at the group with a really annoyed scowl seem... off-putting. "Can't a girl get some beauty sleep around here?"
Brick sat up, holding his now bloody nose. It was at that point that he realized his nose ring was gone too, and he saw it just a few feet away from the kitchen sink that had probably had come close to giving him a concussion, yet somehow he was graced with only a bloody nose.
Unless his brain was bleeding and it was leaking through his nostrils, he was grateful.
Cal flinched when Natal walked in. "...when did she start talking more?" he asked in amazement.
"None of your business." Natal scoffed, as she glanced at Cal. "So? What're you doing here?"
"Somehow, I feel like we're going to have to explain that a lot before we're done for the day..." Tails Doll sighed, as he fluttered towards the ring, before grabbing it and fluttering towards Brick.
"...th-thanks," Brick uttered, taking the ring from Tails Doll. He was in so much pain right now it mind as well have been more painful when he spoke. He managed to stand up though, and he shot a glower at Cal, a look that seemed to say 'this is all your fault.'
Looking between Brick and Natal, Cal sighed. "It's Metal's orders that I stay here..."
"...really." Natal muttered, before she sighed. "Brick, you and Tails Doll go and get yourself fixed up. Whisker, you can go and tell the others that we'll be having a guest here." Then, she glanced at Cal. "In the meantime, we two are going to clean up the mess."
Brick headed for the nearest bathroom, just to see how bad it was. After he took a look in the bathroom mirror, the group could hear Brick scream, "OH DEAR GOD! IT'S AWFUL!"
"...just go and help him, already, Tails Doll." Natal groaned.
"...right." Tails Doll nodded, as he fluttered into the same bathroom. And then... "OH GOD, IT'S EVERYWHERE!"
"...man, 'tis got t' be really messed up." Whisker noted, as he began walking down the hall. "I`ll go tell th' kids."
"And in the meantime..." Natal uttered, as she grabbed hold of the sink, before glancing at Cal. "We're gonna clean up."
"Fine," groaned Cal, as he went to pick up the other things Whisker decided to throw at him.
With a grunt, Natal got the sink off the ground, before beginning to move it towards where Whisker had ripped it out. "So, Metal told you to stay here, huh?" she inquired, to start some conversation. "Why so?"
"Somehow Callous was interested in me," Cal grumbled. "He sent me here for my safety so that she couldn't get me..."
"Her, huh..." Natal muttered, as she placed the sink back in place, before wiping her brow. "Why do you suppose she wanted you?" she asked, as she began walking towards the monkey.
"To use me," Cal answered. "And you don't want to know the rest..." he shuddered when he recalled the..."things" she did. He wished Metal had erased that from his memory banks.
"Don't I?" Natal uttered with a raised eyebrow, as she stopped in front of Cal, folding her arms. "I'm an agent of GUN, you know; I can handle just about anything."
"...I don't want to talk about it," Cal said, turning away as he picked up a lamp that had been knocked over.
"Alright, then." Natal shrugged, as she observed Cal. "...Metal did that, right?" she asked. "Your body, I mean."
"Yeah," Cal still didn't look at Natal as he continued to clean.
"Hm." Natal hummed, as she glanced at each of the halls, to ensure that no one else was there. "...mind if I try something?" she asked, as she walked closer to Cal.
"Try what?" He asked, turning to her.
"This." Quicker than Cal could register, Natal suddenly planted a quick kiss on his lips, breaking away before the monkey could react.
Cal jumped. "...what was that for?" he asked, turning a little red.
Natal chuckled. "Just wanted to see your reaction." she said, before giving him a wink. "And you didn't disappoint."
Cal said nothing, turning away to hide how red he was getting. He spotted the broom and grabbed it to sweep the floor.
Natal couldn't help but giggle at this sight, before she began picking up various objects Whisker had thrown around.
